Who are you, Mlle Oops?

An astonishing exhibition under the helm of Design Parade Toulon enchants the public and reveals a new facet of a protean designer.

Now in its third edition, the Design Parade Toulon international festival, celebrated Pierre Yovanovitch as its guest of honor. The only French listed in the “AD100” – the ranking of the best interior designers and architects in the world – Yovanovitch set to Toulon with a double mission. On the one hand, he chaired as president of the jury of the Design Parade Toulon Prize; also, he was invited to stage his own exhibition in the city’s bishop’s palace. It is on the first floor of this ancient building, that he created the imaginary house of a certain Mlle Oops, by reconstituting the various rooms of an apartment, which is as fascinating as mysterious, since its owner seems to have fled the premises… This is an exhibition where impeccable settings and elliptical narration intertwine in such a way that we can safely assume that many great directors would have loved it… When you set foot in it, you can feel a certain Hitchcockian atmosphere that was revisited by Wes Anderson with a little help from David Lynch… Just thrilling! One of The Invisible Collection’s longstanding iconic designer – his remarkable pieces, including the Bear armchairs collection, have been on sale on our site since its launch – Pierre Yovanovitch has kindly taken the time, in his very busy schedule, to answer our questions, and reveal just a little about the striking universe of his exhibition :

Where does the title L’érotomanie de Mlle Oopscome from?

Mlle Oops refers to the name of my first furniture collection: ‘OOPS’. I thought it funny to make this little nod at the pieces of furniture I design and that are showcased in this exhibition. After all, Mlle Oops is a rather telling title, we can feel it that something might, and will, happen…

I imagined this exhibition as true storytelling: a story to be lived from room to room, in the apartment of Mlle Oops. The exhibition space is very large, and the audience for this event is quite young. Therefore, I created a setting where the artworks and the furniture interact in a sort of dialogue, a reflection of the interiors I create for my clients. The visitors can thus apprehend furniture and artworks outside the museum context.

Tell us about the choice of colors and artworks for each room…

The choice of colors is intended as a tribute to the Mediterranean and Provencal architecture. I used many primary colors (like yellow, which reminds us of the sun, or blood red, color symbol of the theater). The colors as well as the artworks, they all have a meaning in the way they are displayed, nothing has been left to chance. Of course, I have selected works by artists that I particularly like. All the choices I have made in this exhibition serve the story, its narrative.

What does this apartment tell us about its owner?

Mlle Oops is a bit crazy but nice at the same time. Her apartment shows that she has a certain taste, which I think is what makes her sympathetic. Her apartment is not sad even though the story calls for drama.

Talking about your experience as president of the jury Design Parade Toulon: what surprised you the most about the work of the winners?

The thing that surprised me the most was the winners’ incredible maturity when presenting their projects. They have a remarkable self-confidence that drives them forward. It was a wonderful experience to be surrounded by these young talents, to be able to share and exchange with them.